contentious debate

collocation in English

meaningsofcontentiousanddebate

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withdebate.
contentious
adjective
uk
/kənˈten.ʃəs/us
/kənˈten.ʃəs/
causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement ...
See more atcontentious
debate
noun
uk
/dɪˈbeɪt/us
/dɪˈbeɪt/
(a) serious discussion of a subject in which many people ...
See more atdebate

(Definition ofcontentiousanddebatefrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofcontentious debate

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
The following twelve months sawcontentiousdebateabout the ambiguity of these phrases and the conflicting obligations they entailed.
From theCambridge English Corpus
We could debate—we might find it acontentiousdebate—the role of business in relation to science.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is obviously going to be a much disputed area and one where we are going to have long andcontentiousdebate.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It was subject to somecontentiousdebatein another place.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
We are having metering tests in certain areas and no doubt that will be the subject of acontentiousdebatein due course.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
The choice was an oftencontentiousdebatethat riled the passions of party leaders.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The historical record is very poor, such that some major artists' biographies are still bare outlines, while attribution is an ongoing and oftencontentiousdebate.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
In its early years, the county seat changed frequently, often withcontentiousdebate.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The effort was the subject of significant criticism andcontentiousdebatefrom diverse segments.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
After acontentiousdebate, the agency acknowledged the error and corrected the report.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The framing science proposal created a large, oftencontentiousdebatewithin the online scientific blogging community, though research continues to study the influence of framing.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
This has given rise to acontentiousdebateof the interpretation of quantum mechanics.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Whether it has significance or any correlation to the real world is acontentiousdebate.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
The question of to whom reparations should be given, how much, and even whether monetary reparations were appropriate were subjects of sometimescontentiousdebate.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
This request set off acontentiousdebatein the city, about the noise that would be caused by the call to prayer, eventually garnering national attention.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
He also considers the more contentious debates on church+state relations and schooling.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I agree that there will be some formidable debates when the report is published—more contentious debates than that which we are having tonight.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
He is regularly involved with interfaith dialogue between different communities and often called in to lighten-up and moderate contentious debates between multi-faith conservatives.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
It served instead as a refuge for faculty and a site of contentious debates among them concerning student conduct.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Want to learn more?
Go to the definition ofcontentious
Go to the definition ofdebate
See other collocations withdebate